


Not Available

by No_this_is_not_a_good_username



Category: Twilight Zone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25661638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_this_is_not_a_good_username/pseuds/No_this_is_not_a_good_username
Summary: A call does not go through.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Not Available

_Setting: Secret facility at an off-grid location, Elizabeth's bedroom 6:45 pm_

Elizabeth dialed the ten digit number plus the extension, for what must have been, a millionth time.

_"Why won't you go through?"_ , Elizabeth thought, as on most days when she would try to contact her parents back home, on her down time, she would experience no issues.

At this point, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. She walked over to it, opened it, and was greeted by the mug of her next door neighbor, and colleague, Robert.

"Hi Robert! What do you need?", said Elizabeth, trying to keep her words sincere and lacking the exasperation she had given the circumstance.

"Hi Elizabeth! I was actually going to ask you that. I couldn't help, but, overhear the frustration in your voice....may I ask if anything is wrong or if I may be able to assist you with anything?"

"Oh, it's just my stupid telephone. I normally call my parents on my Saturdays off, specifically at 6 pm because of the time difference between here and where they live, and have never experienced any issues. Today, I guess my phone finally decided to go kaput. I have rang their home phone number what feels like a million times, and each time, the phone just keeps on ringing. The ringing finally ends when the automatic voice comes on saying that, 'The number you have reached is not available', and then the line just....cuts out."

"Well, that's a bummer. Do you want me to take a look at it?", asked Robert.

"Thank you for your offer, Robert, it is very kind of you to offer to do that. However, I think I am going to take it into the Technical Support Office at this facility tomorrow morning, just in case the issue is anything more substantial...."

"Okay, then. Well, I guess I will see you on Monday morning then, if not sooner. Have a nice night, and good luck with fixing your phone!", stated Robert, before he walked the few feet back to his room.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, shut her door and headed to bed, as she was going to be getting up early tomorrow.

_(Break Scene)_

_Setting: Technical Support Office, Sunday Morning, 8 am_

"Hello Thomas!"

Thomas was the Sunday shift employee at the Technical Support Office. He and Elizabeth had gotten to the facility at about the same time, and as such, had known each other for a while.

"Good morning, Elizabeth! What brings you to my humble home away from home?"

"Thomas, I was wondering if you could help me? It's my phone...I was trying to get through to my parents yesterday, after doing it so many times with no issues, but yesterday everything changed. I put in their home phone number multiple times, only to be cursed with the ringing dial tone, and the infinite knowledge that the individual(s) I am trying to reach are 'not available'. I tried re-calling them this morning, and the issue has still not been resolved. I figure that the issue is with my device, so I brought it here, with the hope that you will be able to fix what is wrong with it. This way I won't have to go purchase a new one."

"Give it here", implored Thomas, "I'll give it a whirl and see what I can do to help. In the meantime, you are welcome to wait in our reception area. We have beverages and finger foods available there, as well as, the everlasting entertainment that is a series of re-runs from the Home and Garden Network on our TV."

"Duly noted", said Elizabeth, as she headed towards the reception area.

In the meantime, Thomas took her phone into the backroom to check it for any flaws that would have prevented the contact between Elizabeth and her family.

_(Break Scene)_

_Setting: Same as previous setting location, but an hour and a half later_

"This is so bizarre...", mumbled Thomas to himself. Unfortunately, he was going to have to deliver some very bad news to Elizabeth.

"What do you mean there is nothing wrong with my phone?!", asked/exclaimed Elizabeth.

"I mean just that. I ran all the tests I have at my disposal to identify, and fix, any hardware or software issues that are known to affect the specific device that you have. Those tests....they came up negative. I didn't believe it, so I ran them all a second time.", Thomas said. "I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that, whatever is causing your issues, it isn't due to anything wrong with your device."

"What do I do now, then?"

"Hmm" pondered Thomas. "I suggest that you try calling one more time, just to make sure that what happened wasn't a fluke."

Sarah redialed the number, tapped the speaker phone, and placed the device on the counter so that both Thomas and her could hear what came through.

(General Ringing)

Beep..........Beep.............Beep..........Beep

Cue the audio.

"I'm sorry, but the number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again later."

All noises on phone stop.

"See", said Elizabeth exasperated and defeated.

"I do see" replied Thomas. "The only thing that I can recommend is maybe for you take some time off, and, use that time to go visit them in person and make sure that everything is alright."

"That's a really good plan Thomas, I think I'll do just that. The Leave Office is closed on the weekends, but it opens tomorrow at 8 am. The moment it opens, I will be there, and come tomorrow afternoon I should be on my way to my parents' home."

"Sounds like a plan Elizabeth! I really hope it works out for you!" was the last thing Elizabeth heard before she left the office and returned to her room for the day.

_(Break Scene)_

_Setting: Leave Office, 8 am_

"Hi Elizabeth, what brings you to my office?", asked Derek.

Derek was a long-timer at the facility and had been there over 40 years. His mind was not the sharpest, and his body was not as strong as it used to be, so the facility had re-assigned him to this office a little over a year ago. The role would not require a lot of effort of him. His job was to solely to report the facility's employees' interest in leave to the higher ups at the facility. If no conflicts were found that would prevent the employees' from being able to use that leave time in the manner that they so desired, then he could approve that leave for the employees. However, seldom was there ever any issue, and so had a successful approval rating of over 99.5%.

"Hi Derek! It's quite a long story, but if you have the time....", inquired Elizabeth.

"I have time. This is the slow part of the year where very few take leave, so go right ahead." Derek encouraged.

Elizabeth repeated all that had happened in the last couple of days.

"If you don't mind me asking Elizabeth... what is your family's phone number?"

"It's XXX-XXX-XXXX"

"Thank you, Elizabeth. Now, what about the extension?"

"XXXX"

" Okay, let me see if I can use my sleuthing skills to determine where you need to go. The rightmost digit, X, that is telling me you need to get to the Milky Way Galaxy. The second digit from the right, X, is telling me you're going to the Solar System within that Galaxy. The third digit from the right, also an X, is telling me...."

Derek pauses, stares at the geographical information on his disposal, and then looks up, a look on his face that Elizabeth cannot really make out.

"Wait XXXX? Isn't that code referring to a municipality on Earth?"

"Yes....that is where I come from, Earth.", Elizabeth replied, "What's your point?"

"Elizabeth did you not read your e-mails yesterday....", stated Derek trailing off.

"I've known you how long Derek?" stated Elizabeth rhetorically. "You should know by now that I almost never check my e-mails on the weekends. However, I fully intend to do so on my way to Earth. Once, you approve of my leave request."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Elizabeth", stated Derek regretfully.

"Pray tell, why not? I know just how seldom a leave request gets disapproved here."

"I regret being the one to have to tell you this, but there was an e-mail last night that came across my system......all our systems. That e-mail's subject was titled 'Kronky Attack'. The e-mail referred to the Kronky Empire, you know, the same ones we are in a war with....building weapons to fight and defend ourselves against here. They invented a new, super powerful, as well as super concentrated, laser weapon as of last Friday. We all know how sadistic the Kronky can be, and they only further proved it by their methods of testing the laser."

Derek paused again before continuing.

"Word is, that the Kronky threw a grand celebration Friday night in which there was 3 giant wheels. Each wheel was spun 5 times, one after another, and after each group of 3 spins a series of numbers would be produced. The Kronky leadership would then compare these three numbers to all of the galactic telephone area codes. One digit would be the galaxy they would go to, another would be the system, and the last would be the planet. Thus, at the end of all spins there would be five planets, five unlucky guinea pigs for them to unleash this new weapon on. All completely chosen at random."

"Would you please get to the point Derek?"

"At exactly 5 pm on Saturday, the Kronky fired the laser at their last guinea 'planet'. That planet got blown to bits by the laser. And that is why I have to refuse your leave request."

"Let me get this straight, you are saying that you cannot approve my leave request my visit my folks on Earth because some random planet got blown up?! Why should I care about some random planet?"

"You should care very much Elizabeth because I'll never be able to approve a leave request for you to visit Earth ever again......That fifth planet, the one the Kronky blew to bits with the laser......it was Earth, Elizabeth......it's gone."


End file.
